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Thursday, January 31, 2008

LOST: Season 4 Episode 1 - The Beginning of the End

Good Morning Losties! Welcome back! It's been 8 long months since we saw Future Jack talking to Future Kate about a Future Island getaway. And never has there been a cliffhanger that was able to generate THIS much discussion and that was able to sustain a rabid fanbase for THIS extended of a gap between episodes! Well, I should learn from Hugo himself, never say never! But, I think we all deserve some credit for our patience this time around! I'm not going to get into a whole diatribe (there's a 5 dollar word) on the writer's strike in this blog. If it gets resolved it gets resolved. Most likely, we're not getting 16 episodes this winter/spring. Let's just take this time to celebrate the great return of a legendary show. A show that will go down in the history books and the futurey books! (yeah yeah yeah...so I'm making up words, whatever! I'm just excited that We're back and "WE'VE HAD TO GO BACK" for 8 long months now! Okay, enough lame one-liner references to the show. It's time to get to business! I know you're all waiting for my one word assessment of Season 4's Premiere episode "The Beginning of the End." And well, I've been working on that word all night (even was haunting my dreams trying to figure out what word to use!) But, I figured it out...and here goes nothing............"WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ahhh yes, not only has the show returned, but so has the infamous "WOW!" Definitely a wow episode handed to us by the LOST team to kick things off this year....and from what I'm hearing, the WOWs will keep on coming! Season 4 is kicking this LOST party into overdrive. And with 16 episodes a season (strike pending), this means no more filler episodes!

Okay, so brief synopsis of the episode before we start diving into some crazy things we saw! Pretty much the ultimate goal of the episode was to get all of the island inhabitants (minus The Others last seen heading to the temple) into ONE location by the end of the episode. Ben still trying to warn the Radio tower crew about the BAD PEOPLE coming. Desmond, returning from the looking glass, and the beach crew trying to confirm the same thing! This reunion was proven difficult due to a certain lady with a literal Knife in her Back, deciding to stay alive for a bit and run away! But this goal was also helped by the fact that a certain rotund beach dweller got so upset that he threw a walkie talkie into the ocean! (ummmm okay, that's a little weak for a plot movement device, but I'll buy it for the sake of the story!) Also to add more depth to these Island adventures, we get yet another glimpse at the future but from the perspective of another island escapee!

The Flash Forward:

Camera opens on a tower of mangos with a backdrop of an ocean (we're on the island, or are we? we've been fooled before in these season premieres!). BAM SPLAT! A red 1970's Camaro flies through the mangos and the ocean backdrop is just a trailer. We see a man watching this high speed pursuit on his nice Plasma TV, preparing himself what looks to be a screwdriver. It's JACK! Not a bearded Jack though, a Jack that doesn't look much different than current Island Jack. Our Car Dweller?None other than Hurley! Yes folks, Hugo gets off the island too! But what toll has this taken on him? Let's dive in and discuss!

Even though this was a Hugo-centric flash forward, we do get a glimpse into Jack beginning his drinking problem. But it is worth noting that at this point, he still has his act together. Can't say the same for ol' Hurley!

The car chase ends with Hurley slamming into that crazy Bonneville Car of Death being slammed into by the Camaro. Yep the same car that was used to run over Michael in his flashback, the same car that Kate crashed into when running out of the hospital with her childhood sweetheart, and the same car that may have driven by Anthony Cooper and Locke in the flower shop in season 3. I don't really get into speculation about this, but the folks over at Sledgeweb like to note this. And they had a picture, so I figured I'd put it here!

As for the Camaro, this is obviously the same car that Hurley and his Dad were working to restore. He must've been able to fix it! With his Dad? who knows???

It's confirmed pretty early that Hurley is being haunted by visions of his deceased buddy Charlie. But my only question was, even if he ran away from a ghost in a convenience store, why on earth would he be getting chased by the cops? Did he steal something? Or just cause a big scene?

While Hurley is being detained in Police custody, the 2-Way mirror becomes an underwater scene with Charlie Ghost swimming around. Charlie puts his hand on the glass and instead of it saying "Not Penny's Boat" it says "They Need You"

Hurley is questioned in the Police station by none other than Ana Lucia's old partner "BIG MIKE!" A guy with an extremely large mole on his face! Anyway, a little chilling of a scene occurs here when Mike starts bringing up Ana Lucia. And instead of Hurley getting all chummy with Mike and talking about their common bond, he lies and says he never met her. Not even before the flight. This raises many questions that we'll get to in a bit. It sure seems like this little off-island stint by the Oceanic 6 was never intended to be permanent. Speaking of the Oceanic 6 (the 6 people that leave the island), Hurley was the first one to mention this crazy title. Apparently, it's been floating around the message boards for months. I tried to stay away from spoilers, but when you're the LOST BLOG GUY, people come to YOU with information they think you want to know! Anyway rumors are running about with people trying to figure out who the Oceanic 6 are, 3 so far are confirmed (Jack, Kate, Hurley). Of course Hurley being part of the Oceanic 6 is interesting due to his on-island decisions at the end of the episode. Looks like we still have some time to kill on the island before anyone is leaving! (I think we knew that anyway!) As for speculation on the other 3 people? I have guesses, there are probably spoilers out there already confirming it (I would ask people not to post comments about it if you know!) - I'm sure any flashforward episodes we get will quickly show us who they are. But if I were a betting man, I would guess Sun and Claire as 2 of them....for sake of the baby to be....and because of Desmond's vision of Claire. But, I don't win much when I gamble so I'm just along for the ride! And I also must remember that Claire goes with Locke at the end of the episode! (oh right...we're not talking about that yet! more on that in a bit!)

So, after being chased by visions of Charlie, Hurley wins his request to return to his favorite Mental Institution and get locked up! And for awhile it's all fun Chalkboard sketches of possible DHARMA sharks and pretty paintings of Igloos (look into this as much as you want. I get bored with it! Maybe Penny's research crew that found the island?) But then there was a visit of this mysterious man (Abiden or something? Anyone get the closed captioning on this? I'm hearing on the radio the name represents DEATH and Darkness and all of that fun stuff) claiming to be an Oceanic Airlines attorney. He was trying to persuade Hurley of an upgrade on his current location...but what he really wanted to know about was if "they were still alive" WHO are THEY? The Oceanic Survivors? The freighter People? The Others? This seems to also be part of the coverup alluded to by Hurley's Ana Lucia omission. And who is this mystery guy? Is he one of THE OTHERS on field assignment? (like Richard) Is he a Not Penny's Boat'er? Or is he actually from Oceanic Airlines? Or from somewhere else like the Widmore corporation? Wow, so many more questions to ponder!Whoever he is, he doesn't like to carry around identification. But he was still able to get a nice visitor ID!

Hurley's future adventures didn't get any easier as Ghost Charlie finally cornered him and his crazy paintings. They discussed Charlie's premeditation to sacrificing himself for everyone else. Charlie gave out the quote "I'm dead but I'm also right here" oooooh chilling. This really is our first "VISION" off of the island. So if we thought these visions were restricted to just the island, apparently we thought wrong. Then again, Hurley used to have visions of DAVE in the looney bin. And we still don't know if the island was inducing the visions Hurley saw of him on the island either. From what I've been reading from the critics (since we can't get any info from the striking producer/writers!), if season 1 was about survival, season 2 was about the Hatch, season 3 was about the Others, season 4 could very well be about the crazy Ghost visions everyone has been seeing (well...that and Flash Forwards, Freighter-dwellers and all of that crazy cool stuff!) Charlie also SLAPS Hurley to let him know he's real. And I mean, just the discussion they had makes it seem like it was real. But Charlie's final comment to Hurley could've really been his conscience talking "They Need You Hurley, You Know they need you!" But as we'll dive into in a couple seconds, that really doesn't seem to be the case. We must not forget though....the other patient claims to have seen Charlie too! That was pretty nuts!

But I have to sidebar for a second - We were starting to associate these crazy visions people are having with the smoke monster, and we were told we were not barking up the wrong tree. So then the question becomes, does the smoke monster exist OFF of the island too? Or once you are exposed to the island, you're never the same? I dunno....am I asking the right questions here? who knows?

Also fun to note that Hurley counted to 5 and Charlie disappeared. If you remember Jack talks in the pilot episode about letting the fear take him in for 5 seconds (that's all he was going to give it) and then it would go away. Kate, later in that episode, took the advice to heart. And of course it re-appeared in season 3 with the escape from the Hydra station. Not sure if these were supposed to be tied together...but still a good time!

Ahh and then the culmination of the Flash Forward - Jack visits Hurley in Looneyville! Not sure why I got so excited by this! But I just find it so interesting to see these characters interacting OFF of the island! If we had any doubt that this flash took place BEFORE Jack's flash...it was confirmed here with Jack saying that he was thinking of growing a beard to avoid the press and the autographs and such. (The Oceanic 6 are indeed famous...but what was is the cover story? Jack saved 5 other people and that's it????) As for comedy - They still find ways to address the VIEWER commentaries even in future world. Everyone talked about how fake and awful Jack's beard looked in the flash forwards. Hurley got in a one liner "You'd look weird with a beard dude" LOVE IT!

So Jack was stopping in after a surgical consult, so we do confirm that he did go back to work before he got hooked on his drug addiction (I wasn't sure if he was just showing up at the hospital unwanted and no one wanted to tell him to leave!)

The big reveal of the flash forward was that this is one intense coverup...and it was enhanced by Hurley confirming he's not nuts but wanted to know if Jack thought he was and that he was going to "TELL" TELL WHAT???? ARGHHH!!!!! Time will tell!We also see a role reversal from the season 3 finale when Hurley is pretty much telling Jack "We have to go Back" but he added in that "IT" will stop at nothing to get them back. IT being the island? That's what I would think. It's all coming back to me - Jack saying "I'm sick of lying! We made a mistake! We have to go back" But earlier future Jack says "We're never going back!" Never say never dude. So I guess it's safe to say that Kate is going to get struck by this same bug at some point in the future? Hey, maybe she'll see the crazy black horse again and all 6 of them will fly on the horse back to the island! Okay, now I'm being a little silly. But I would totally buy it on this show!

And of course, spoiling a bit of what's to come down below.....Hurley apologizes for siding with Locke to which Jack states is water under the bridge. Should be interesting to see how the island activity unfolds!

Island Stuff:

Based on how the episode was dolled out to us...it's difficult to tell if this was actually a FLASH BACK to the flash forward or flash sideways to the flash diagonal. But, in the end, does it really matter? As long as we can tell when is when I am fine with it! We start in 2 different locations and eventually everyone meets up. There are the Radio Tower Dwellers and the Beach Crew. Let's keep them separate until we meet up further down.

Radio Tower Dwellers

What started out as a happy occasion gets a little creepy when Wikowski (the guy on the radio, not sure right spelling yet) starts calling back asking for Naomi. Most people head on their way back to the beach. Jack, Kate, Rousseau, and Ben have another appointment. Wikowski needs a new signal from the satellite phone and only Naomi knows how to do it.

So Naomi wasn't quite dead yet. She managed to escape leaving a trail of Blood. Kate claims Naomi led a fake trail, Jack still convinced they're going to get rescued, tells Kate to return with everyone else to the beach. He brings Rousseau and Ben (because he doesn't trust him with anyone except himself) to follow the trail.

Ben continues his warnings about the Freighter folk. He is clearly frightened. Also, this is portrayed by Ben asking Rousseau to take Alex as far away as possible.

So long story short Jack, Ben and Rousseau follow the wrong path just as Kate suggested. Kate stole the phone from Jack when they hugged and found Naomi...they rolled around in the jungle for a bit. Naomi was upset that the survivor's "figuratively and literally" stabbed Naomi in the back after her trying to get them rescued. But after some convincing from Kate they call the freighter and transmit a better signal. Then Naomi dies....RIP Naomi!

Man, can you remember this show before BEN was on it? How fantastic is Michael Emerson? When this guy plays the role of a captive, he is just awesome. Tonight was full of sarcastic one-liners that might top some of Sawyer's. "ooooh riiight...i guess I should've told you about her taking the Satellite Phone! but you beat the crap out of me so I owed you one!" love it!!!

Beach Crew

So, Hurley tells Bernard he won the lottery but claims he will be free because they thought he was dead. I guess he didn't have his says his money in those Flash Forwards. Just the camaro he worked on with Dad. So the unlucky streak is over???

Again I stated Hurley tossing the Walkie into the ocean was kinda bizarre and seemed like a just a plot device to get everyone into one place. But, it was kinda funny...so it was suitable for Hurley to be acting emotionally to the news of Charlie's death. (very sad stuff by the way!)

Desmond returns and warns everyone about the boat and the mood definitely changes from joy to fear.

Gotta love Sawyer being sympathetic to Hurley and trying to talk to him about Charlie. Quality stuff!

But Hurley getting LOST was the craziest part of this little storyline. Hurley hears whispering and then BAM...there's Jacob's shack! And it's a MOBILE Shack at that (perhaps a miniature representation of the Island that seems to be in all places at one time? Nigeria? In the South Pacific? Portland????)

But Hurley's glimpse INTO Jacob's house shows a man yet again rocking the chair. We had speculated before that the glimpse we got could be either Locke or Christian Shephard. Ironic that in tonight's episode....we DEFINITELY see Christian Shephard (and those crazy white sneakers) sitting in the chair! If anyone watched Missing Pieces episode 13 - you'll know positively that the Christian is wearing white sneakers...why?? was he buried with them? I dunno. I don't remember from Season 1's White Rabbit episode if he was wearing them either. (btw...i'll talk about my thoughts on the missing pieces at the end of the blog). I still do not take this as confirmation that Christian is alive. The producers have been so adamant that once you're dead you're dead. And Christian? He died! We haven't seen HOW he died yet. But we saw his corpse! But we've also seen a vision of him on the island. And I think we're getting closer to revealing what that's all about! I know I 've always hoped that he will be somehow involved in the masterminding of this whole island experience. But who knows if that will be the truth or not. But we do know he plays a key role in many of the survivor's lives (possibly some yet to be seen).

I talked about the irony of our previous speculation being of Christian AND John Locke. Well an EYE peeks out at Hurley...and it's none other than John Locke's blue eye! I went back and forth on this, but the screen capture clearly depicts Locke's eye! Which makes sense because he mysteriously shows up to Hurley with Hurley's torch right after. Remember Jack and Kate discussing how Locke just vanished from the Radio Tower? And what about him being in the Shack that was appearing in various locations? Perhaps his rescue from the Dharma Ditch has put him into some kinda unison with the island and Jacob. Perhaps Locke IS Jacob...perhaps Christian is Jacob too?? Perhaps we ALL are Jacob in our own way! Perhaps I'm just as confused as ever! That's probably the most likely scenario!

I was going to go out on a limb and possibly suggest that maybe Locke actually DIED in the ditch. And there probably are facts to support it, now that Ghost Charlie is out there talking reason with Hurley. I thought it would be an interesting concept to delve into....but I think there's too much still to explain with Locke being ALIVE with his whole magical healing and the freeing of the wheel chair! But...still worth noting the possibility so if it turns out to be true...I can reference this statement and say "I KNEW IT!!!!" even though I really didn't!

So key plot point here is that Locke convinces Hurley to back up his belief that the Freighter folk are bad. He asks Hurley to help him convince Jack in order to prevent Charlie from dying in vain.

The Reunion

And thus the moment we were all waiting for, didn't take 6-12 episodes (season 3) or 9 episodes (season 2) for it to happen. It happened in 1! (this is why i can forgive the Walkie getting thrown into the ocean!) All of the survivors meet by the Fuselage of Flight 815. The Man of Science (Jack) and the Man of Faith (Locke) are once again at odds. Locke is heading to the Barracks and wants everyone to join him. Jack is heading to the beach to get rescued and assumes everyone thinks Locke is crazy just like he does.

Yeah...did I mention Jack said he was going to kill Locke when he saw him? Well he certainly tried! Taking his gun, beating him down...and then ....yep...PULLING THE TRIGGER! Woa...gun wasn't loaded...wasn't ever loaded. Locke never intended to kill Jack! Just the potentially bad person Naomi!

(correction: I was recently reminded that the gun had at least ONE bullet in it because Locke shot the ground near the satellite phone. Plus, Locke was also going to shoot himself with it before Walt saved him.)

Hurley's touching reveal to Claire that Charlie is dead was rough stuff (tied in with the flash forward to Hurley talking to Charlie made the blow a little easier to deal with!). But it was followed by his speech to follow Locke "FOR CHARLIE!" "I'm not listening to you!(Jack)" Hurley later apologizes for siding with Locke....so what on earth happens between then and the future to get Hurley rescued? And whoever else???

Crew that follows Locke: Claire (& Aaron so much for Desmond's vision for now), Hurley, Rousseau, Ben (who shot Locke but still wanted to go! Really fears the freighter! Should be interesting with the Ben/Locke dynamic), Alex, Karl, Sawyer (upsetting Kate) and randoms.

Crew that follows Jack: Rose and Bernard - "I'm not going anywhere with that man" This is interesting because Locke and Rose used to be on the same page with the healing powers of the island. Perhaps Rose is turned off by Locke's murder of Naomi? But will she want to be rescued? Bernard is still willing to stay put with her.Kate, Sun, Jin, Sayid, Juliet, Desmond and more randoms (or should we call them Nikki's and Paulo's ????).I'm going to assume Sayid is sticking with Jack because he wants to see this freighter with his own eyes. He was willing to hear Locke out and was concerned about Charlie's message. I guess we'll see what happens there!

Another great one liner with Ben "Jack, with your permission I'd like to go with John!" Such a simple line, but Emerson saying it gives it so much more effect!

Another interesting thing to point out. Remember when Locke was in the early stages of becoming one with the island and he was able to predict the rain? How about that downpour that started once the sides were chosen? Did you see Locke's face? He seemed very confused...like he did NOT predict this one. Am I looking into this too much? Crazy!

Also, when Jack and Kate stayed behind to look into the fuselage...I'll admit it...I did my own flashback to the pilot episode and knew that someone was missing on that visit. Good ol' Charlie. Very sad stuff. Jack asks how did we get here? Almost the follow-up question to Charlie's infamous "Guys, where are we?"

They didn't have too much time to ponder because the thunder turned into a helicopter and another parachute fell from the sky.....and the man attached to this chute was none other than the French Translator guy from Saving Private Ryan! Is this Wikowski? We got one line from him "Are you Jack?" and then BOOM!!! LOST! Guess we'll find out next time!

Wow...do I know how to be wordy or what? Well we're not done yet folks! I have 2 more segments that I added to this blog. And then we'll say Namaste until next week!

Coffin Watch!

I figured we should try to have an ongoing segment about updated theories on who was in the coffin at the end of season 3. At this point, I'm going to say it was NOT one of the Oceanic 6 (but that's because I don't know who the 6 are). I'm still going to say it was Michael, because well he was NOT a member of the Oceanic 6 (we don't think)....he probably had to create an ALIAS name when he left the island because he couldn't tell anyone what happened. (Perhaps that alias is the name found that we could almost read in the newspaper clipping). Jack MIGHT feel some sympathy for him and attempt suicide (okay..stretch). But fully understandable that Kate would not want to go to the funeral. OR...no one would show up for the funeral because no one knew he was still alive. Also, the neighborhood that the viewing was in would suggest that it would be someone of Michael's cultural background. I just can't remember if Michael was originally from New York though??? And I guess if it was Michael, it could've been Walt too. Theories still are going crazy with Sawyer, Ben, Locke, etc.... But I really don't think so at this point. I also pondered ROSE because of her cancer if she left the island. Jack might feel a little guilty about that. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Missing Pieces thoughts:

Don't want to spend too much time on the Missing Pieces Mob-i-sodes that helped us through the fall. Some were entertaining, some seemed pointless. But to me, all that they did was add a little more information to things that we didn't necessarily have to see to enjoy the show. You see, not everyone watches them so they can't really give away anything that would be essential to the flagship show. So I have interpreted these "MISSING PIECES" as bits of knowledge we could have done without but enhances the viewing experience for hardcore fans that want more! For example, Jin flipping out at golf. People probably have wondered why we haven't gone back to the Golf Course or why has Jin gone from this crazy strict mean guy to a loving Husband over 3 seasons. These MISSING PIECES attempted to "Cover the Producers' Tracks" a bit by attempting to answer those crazy questions. Kinda like "yep, we meant to do this all along" The most interesting one though was the 13th one that showed Christian Shephard giving orders to Vincent (the dog) and petting him and the whole 9 yards. "Find my son, he has work to do" and then the next clip shows Jack waking up in the jungle (in the pilot episode) and he sees Vincent. I still say Jack's Dad is dead! But here we get a good shot of those White Sneakers! Anyway, like I said, we didn't need to see this, but it enhances our viewership especially making us definitely able to prove that it WAS Christian Shephard sitting in Jacob's rocking chair. Anyway, if you didn't watch them and want to catch up...check them all out here! (13th is still not there though..weird! it was on youtube for a bit)

That's it folks. Great episode once again. Sorry for being wordy! Sorry for any typos (just want to get this out to people) See you next week for Episode 2 "CONFIRMED DEAD" Oooh chilling title! NAMASTE!

Disclaimer: Many thanks again to Sledgeweb (lost.cubit.net) for always having the ability to capture so many wonderful screen stills from the show! If I had the technology to do it myself, you bet I would! But since I don't, it's nice to know someone out there does!

52 comments:

This was emailed to me about Matthew Abbaddon (guy that visits Hurley)

"Season 4 Burning Question No. 4: Who is Matthew Abbaddon really? And what are to make of that name? Matthew means ''gift of the Lord.'' By contrast, there's the hellish allusion of ''Abbaddon.'' My trusty TV Watch editor, Tom Conroy, pointed out to me that in the book of Revelation, Abaddon is ''the angel of the abyss'' and even the personification of death. I have theories — but they are best saved for next week, when we will encounter Matthew Abbaddon once again in an equally provocative scene"

- How was Penny on the same video conference system as the others? I wonder if she broke into her dad's office, and was snooping around. Her Dad is leader of the boat/Naomi people - original Dharma people?

- The coffin seemed kind of small, probably not tall enough for a male (maybe Ben, he was short), not wide enough for Hurley

- The secret of the Oceanic 6 I would guess is that to get off the island, they make a deal with Locke and Ben to betray their new parachuting Naomi crew. But Ben makes them promise to lie and say they were the only survivors. It would be cool if they make a deal with Desmond to say he found them in the ocean and sailed them home (but I don't remember if Desmond's boat is still intact? Did Locke blow that up too?).

I guess last we've seen of the sailboat is that Ben had it. They brought it back to the Hydra station or so wel thought. Interesting with the Freighter people possibly being linked to DHARMA.

Coffin...i have no idea what to think about it! I guess if the coffin seems small it could be walt! But I still have to wonder why Kate wouldn't go.

But hmmm....maybe Kate's resistance to go isn't about who the funeral is for. Maybe it's because no one knows Kate survived? She may not BE an official Oceanic 6'er. This would explain why she isn't in jail.

Check out this TV Guide article about possibly being more than the "official" Oceanic 6 http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Losts-Oceanic-Six/800032247

What a fabulous ep ! And another great recap Mike. I only found you last year and have soooo regretted not reading your blog all this time.

Interesting how you think that the funeral would not be 1 of the 6 ! If that were true I'd say Michael then. But - I've always wondered if it's Ben or Locke as that would make sense why no one went. But - I kow - both Ben and Locke don't want to leave. SIGH!

Loved it when Rousseau clocked Benry for calling Alex his daughter. LOL

But - where is Locke's gunshot wound from being shot by Ben ?? He did not seem to be healing when Walt came to him - so your theory of him not really being alive is veeery interesting.

Very touching how Kate/Jack talked about Charlie standing there at the sight of their first adventure the 3 had together - going to look for the pilot.

I prefer to think of your randoms or Nickie/Paulo's as 'Red shirts' in a call out to the early Star Treks eps. LOL

Most interesting to me ? that Hurley chose to go to the barracks but wound up back home - so the division of people is not going to determine who leaves.

Wondering - Ben was so freake dout that Locke could hear/see Jacob - what's his reaction going to be if he finds out that Hurley can too ?!?Can't remember - did Naomi EVER state that she was sent by Penny ? She had Penny's pic - but was she ever directly asked if Penny sent her and what was her answer ?? Just wondering if naomi knows who she is delivering the losties to - or is she not in on any future plots that are to unfold.

Great stuff on the Bonneville - I totally did not see that. Or the white shoes for that matter.

Also love the theory going round that the 'freighties' aren't caring about the 'losties' so much as they are looking for the evil others and Ben who killed off the Dharma folks - leading us to believe the freighties ARE Dharma.

Could be that the 'freighies' exact some sort of revenge and the Oceanic 6 are allowed to leave ONLY if they don't tell what Dharma did to the evil others ?!?

Wow...nice with all of the comments! Thanks Curt and Jeff for calling me Butzo. Thanks Drew (aka anonymous) for asking about it! I guess it will be as much of a mystery as Jacob himself!

MJ thanks as always for the props and for adding the great comments. I'll have to re-read and maybe respond later!

As for the Oceanic Commercial. I'm going to guess it's a complete waste of time. But it's really just a continuation of the flyoceanicair.com story. There were inter-spersed clips of that Guy looking for his fiance (forget his name)...and apparently he said "we found the plane" and we see a shot of a plane underwater (like naomi described). If I get a chance later...I'll check out the website!

and yeah the more i think about it...if the FREIGHTIES are remnants of OFF-ISLAND DHARMA folk and they received word on the PURGE initiated by Ben, then there could be a lot of P.O.'d people out for blood. And that explain why Ben does NOT want them to come!

Hey Mike, great blog as always. Downloaded it today and watched it tonight in England....this show is too good to wait.Lots of good theories. I didn't notice Christian Shepherds trainers. Was it him? I find that odd.I hope Sawyer is one of the 6. Speak soon. Leigh

Kate's "HE"...Not sure if this is posted on the blog anywhere (I can't find it); in TV GUIDE, the print edition, Kate (Evangeline Lilly) says about who "HE" is..."I thought it was either Sawyer or a kid or a rich guy Kate married." TV Guide confirms that one of those guesses is correct...

Coffin: I think its Matthew Abbaddon. Reason being is I think he's been trying to get answers from the Oceanic Six and they have been covering up whatever happened. Jack saw that he died and it killed him to be hiding so much from MA. Jack was neither friend nor family. He's going crazy living a lie and needs to get back to the Island to fix it because thats what he does.

First time writer so bear with me please....I just found out about this great site about two weeks ago and have been reading the past blogs like crazy. Absolutely THE best blogging of Lost I've seen yet. Keep up the good work.

Two questions:1.) On the previews before ABC showed the first episode this year, I noticed at the end of one promo when the huge letters "LOST" appeared, in the background was what looked liked the island. However, the reflection in the water showed buildings and whatnot. Anybody else catch this? Supposedly like the lost city of Atlantis or whatever.

2.) In regards to the Oceanic 6, if Jack, Kate and Hurley are 3 of the 6, would you consider the person in the coffin that Jack read the obituary about, to be one of the six?

Sorry if these questions have been answered here before. I'm a newbie; be kind!

Oops...regarding question 2 above, I meant to ask why WOULDN'T you consider it to be one the Oceanic 6? For it to Michael, I just can't see it. Ben? No, because I don't think Jack would be that broken up about it. Walt? Who wouldn't want to be there for his viewing? Locke? As far as I know, I think he is the best possibility but there goes that issue of the coffin being seemingly too small for someone the size of Locke.I suspect that since the flashforward episode was a pretty good ways in the future, it's possible that the person in the coffin is somebody we haven't even seen yet.

Moving on to other mind-numbing questions: Can someone tell me why in the world Locke wouldn't go right after Ben when he had the chance? Ben had just attempted to murder him and Locke is going to play nice and allow him to go with him? I don't buy it. And then Jack would have killed Locke if the gun was loaded and nobody says a word about it? That deserves a "Wow", doesn't it? LOL

Also, how did someone, ANYONE, NOT see Naomi disappear from where she was stabbed? Come on. There's gotta be fifty people or so around at the time and NOBODY (except possibly Ben) saw her go to the jungle? Hmmm...

Wow...lots of good stuff there. I pondered Abbaddon being the coffin guy too....I guess it's really going to depend on how big his role gets on the show and what that role is. But considering he is supposed to be a recurring character and he's from the WIRE, I'm guessing it's gonna be a significant part!

Interesting with the Evangeline comments horseman. I just think Sawyer is too easy an answer to that one! The other 2? well if it's a rich guy she married...maybe that's how she stays out of jail. I still like the idea that no one knows she survived and she's NOT one of the Oceanic 6. Time will tell!

boardreader - welcome and thanks for the blog compliments. way too kind on saying that this is the best you've found! But I'll take the compliment anyway! lol Definitely not dumb questions and I encourage you to post any thoughts you have! As for the skyline in the latest LOST logo...yep..it's definitely there. Check out the bottom of the blog right now...as I have a picture posted showing it! Not sure if it represents Atlantis though. I really have no idea what it's supposed to mean. I am getting on board with this island being omnipresent (not even sure i know what that word means)...or like it's everywhere at all times. I mean...how does a short distance plane from Nigeria end up in the south pacific? And how did they get Locke's Dad there so quickly from tallahassee? (i think that's where he was)....and I believe Juliet came from the Miami. Anyway...i'm getting sidetracked. That Island is one crazy mystery! lol

As for the coffin...I change my mind on that thing every day! That's why I dedicated a section of the blog to discuss it! But I'm stuck on Michael right now because all the pieces seem to fit based on the knowledge we have. Kate wouldn't want to go to the funeral because he murdered some of their people. Jack may have sympathized with him to the point of suicide (like i said...a stretch)....but the demographics of the area where the funeral was seems to fit Michael (or Abbaddon for that matter).

The reason I don't go for the whole BEN or LOCKE thing...because I also think those are too obvious. Plus if it was Ben...it definitely wouldn't be one of the oceanic 6.

So bottom line (and i'm rambling because it's late on a saturday night!)...the reason i said i didn't think it was one of the oceanic 6 was because i'm stuck on my idea that it's Michael. And if it WAS one of the 6, why would Kate NOT want to go to the funeral? Of course, if Kate is NOT one of the 6 and she is in hiding...then it could be ANYONE in that coffin.

But...then...why did no one attend the funeral? Well if it was Michael and no one knows he's alive...(and he's going by some crazy alias)...then why would ANYONE go to the funeral? Of course...if it was Ben, he has no family or friends either so there you go. But yeah...might possibly be someone we haven't met yet. I guess we'll see!

I could ramble about this all day!

good point on the naomi thing but i guess we have to accept this little plot device for what it was! one more reason to take an hour of dramatic television for everyone to meet up in one location!

As for Jack trying to kill Locke. I think i gave it a "WOA" in the blog! lol It was pretty nuts. And I'm sure it freaked a few people out. Whether or not there will be reprecussions (sp?) from that later on remains to be seen. But many of them had just witnessed Locke murder their supposed savior so I'm sure a lot of people were kinda PO'd at him at the time. But yeah...Jack pulling the trigger may have been a little much. It was still a good time for me!

As for Locke and Ben...I agree...but I'm sure Locke (or Jacob) has plans for good ol' Benjamen Linus don't you worry!

whew...i think i rambled enough for the night! thanks everyone for reading and posting! Keep it up!

Thats one of the reasons I think its Abbaddon. He will show to be quesitoning Kate about the truth of what happened on the island. You know she doesn't like being questioned and thats why she said to Jack "why would I go to his funeral"

That would be kinda weird, wouldn't it? lol Interesting thought though! But based on what Hurley says in this past episode, I guess we have to assume that they took his money away because they thought he was dead??? They really didn't touch on that too much in the flash forwards. You would think the money would pass onto his family or something. Bizarre...But he clearly doesn't want the money.

I read some theory somewhere that the mysterious "he" could possibly be Aaron. But how far into the future could that scene really have been? Would they really have left the island for YEARS before returning where Aaron could actually be wondering where Kate was? And why would Kate be watching over Aaron in the first place?

Ahhh so many questions!

Have I mentioned how much I love this whole Flash Forward idea yet? This is fantastic!

Yeah the Abbaddon thing makes sense depending on what we find out about him. But I still have a hard time thinking his death would lead Jack to suicide. And then once again with the "size" of the coffin...That dude looks super tall doesn't he?

Of course, I wonder if the size of the coffin really matters or if it was just a Prop error.

I guess the big question is....I wonder if we'll find out who is in that coffin in the next 7 episodes!

When you mentioned Aaron in the future it reminded me of the "Raised by Another" episode in season 1. I remember that being one of the more mysterious and creepy episodes. It's possible the show will have to be taken many years into the future to see how that subplot plays out. I can't wait!

touche' Rob...that's a very good point. But what about Malkin (the psychic) admitting to Eko that he was a fraud. He did research on the clients before they came and told them false prophecies. Now he did know flight 815 was going down. But does that mean it was really a psychic ability or is he in cahoots with whoever arranged for flight 815 to end up on that island? You know what would be interesting? If Christian Shepard and Malkin met in his drunken trip to Australia. (you know assuming Jack's dad is involved in the whole Island stuff)....maybe he was trying to get his son and his daughter stuck on that island together for some reason. (and of course stuck with his ghost too lol) So what if Shephard told Malkin about the flight?

And of course Aaron is also his grandson! Is Aaron destined for great things? Very good question...and should be interesting to see how that pans out!

LOL...I never noticed the picture at the bottom of the blog. Pardon my lack of observational skills.

Certainly, one would suspect that the picture will play a big part in upcoming episodes. If the buildings do actually represent a current city, I'm wondering if any of them are recognizable to anyone?

As far as Aaron is concerned, didn't the psychic in Season 1 state to Claire that her unborn child would have danger all around it or something to that effect?

Also, since Lost has some seemingly biblical references, it might be noted that in the Bible, Aaron is actually the great-great grandson of Jacob. So if one surmises that Jacob looks like Christian Shepard (who is actually Aaron's grandpa), could it be that the person playing Jacob is indeed NOT Christian but rather his grandpa whom we haven't seen yet?

I don't know. I'm probably just throwing out another morsel of trivial nonsense.

Ok, just a couple more thoughts. Just for argument purposes, let's suppose that we take as fact that Jack and Hurley are two of the Oceanic 6. Would it be farfetched to believe that the big secret between these two revolves around Kate since they both know of her past? As such, Kate keeps running, is not known by the media for being rescued and subsequently cannot be considered as one of the six.

So, who are the other four? Well, using what little logic I possess, you have to assume (don't you?) that both Michael and Walt eventually make it back to civilization. That's what I think anyway. So that makes four.

The other two, at least in my mind, have to be Claire and Aaron. If they do not make it back, then doesn't Charlie's heroic act mean nothing? Besides, I don't think even Lost would go so far as to kill off a little innocent baby, would they?

Well you never know what is trivial on this show or not. But that is some very interesting stuff. What if the origins of the island trace back through the Shephard family tree? Anything is possible right? It could've been Christian's biggest hidden secret, and he wanted to share it with both of his children before he died!

Tying together Jacob and Aaron through biblical references may not be too far off at all!

Anyways...yeah Malkin (psychic) did say that danger surrounds the "RAISING" of the child. The child is very important and must be raised by his mother. But, like I said, we don't know if Malkin is a fake or not. But thinking more about it, when Eko talked to Malkin's daughter later in that episode, she was saying stuff about Yemi that only Eko would know about. So maybe Malkin was lying about being a fraud.

To your other post....I'm still considering the fact that maybe Michael and Walt ARE already home but never announced to the media anything that happened. They've been living in fair and under alias names (which is why I still think Michael is in the coffin). Either that or those crazy kids are STILL somewhere in Island land....we should be finding out this season! But again...how will they explain Walt's aging?? (they said they would!)

I agree that Kate not being part of the 6 a very interesting idea...either that or if she is one of the 6, then they have to have a good reason why she isn't going to jail.

As with Aaron, do you think he would count as part of the 6? He technically wasn't born when the plane crashed so he wasn't listed on the manifest.

And what about Sun and the unborn child? She doesn't want that baby to die! I gotta go with Sun and Jin

Jack, Hurley, Sun, Jin, (kate), ????

What about someone like Sayid? He wants off that island too....and we know that Nadia lives in LA...that would be kinda interesting if their paths intersected again wouldn't it?

Re-watched the ep on Sunday - right before my team won the SUPERBOWL! Whoo Hoo.

Any way, noticed a couple of new things. When Hurley has crashed the car and is getting out they very quickly show someone filming it with a video camera - but not a news camera type. So who's watching/filming Hurley ??

They go to great lengths to show Juliette start digging with Sawyer just watching her, and a body on the ground I assume to be an other. But theynever show her finish or anything.

I don't think the cabin was moving now. I think Hurley is transported. He is only like 1 bend behind Sawyer, he rounds that bend and immediately Hurly panics like he has no idea where he is. Why would he just panic so quickly - and how does Sawyer not hear him yell ?? Cause was no longer in the same part of the island as the rest of them.

When Locke appears to Hurley he states that Hurley got himself good and lost - then asks how he got seperated from the group. How'd Locke know he was with a group ? Then Locke talks about what Des said was on Charlie's hand - how'd Locke know about that too ??

Finally - just an observation - we know that Hurley's FF is more recent in time than Jacks - but Hurley and Jack's conversation about reporters and being recognized clearly means to me that in Hurley's FF they are only really recently back - like under 6months, as most news stories only have so long a shelf life.

I can't help but believe that Jack would be upset by whoever is in the coffin for a reason that we have yet to be given. The producers knew we'd go nuts trying to figure it out - and have made it so we could not as yet do that. LOL

Congrats to your GIANTS for winning the big game. I was rooting for whoever would give me the biggest payout...once that was out the window...(4 minutes left in the game)...i was a big GIANTS fan for the rest of the game!

As for Juliet digging...there was actually a deleted scene from that exact moment that they showed the night before the premiere on Kimmel...Sawyer asks Juliet what she's going to tell TEAM OCEANIC (or some crazy nickname) that comes to rescue them since she wasn't on the plane. She responds simply with "you have blood on your cheek"...he wipes his face "your other cheek" END SCENE lol I don't think there is much mytery around what she's digging. I think they were both working on burying the dead from their encounter (since there were like 7-10 of them!)

I'll have to check out the video camera guy, but I'm going to guess it was just a curious bystander who happened to be in the area and with a video camera! but you could be right...there could be more there!

With Jacob's house, the moving, hurley moving, etc....I'm as perplexed as ever! The house may have not even been there at all and Hurley was just seeing things! But Locke was sure near whatever was going on! And for Locke knowing what was going on...I figured there was just some "OFF CAMERA" discussion where Hurley filled in Locke of the situation so they didn't have to waste time ON CAMERA filling US in all over again. The producers say that they work around stuff like that all of the time because they don't want to bore the audience who already know what's going on. (kinda like in season 2 When Michael returned from TAILIE LAND trying to get Jack to settle the Ana Lucia/Sayid issue after Shannon's accidental killing....but ran into Sun on the way....he just said "JIN'S OKAY..i'll explain everything...right now i need jack!" Not sure why I'm getting this detailed about it!) But plain and simple...I don't think there's really a mystery there to solve. Locke was just filled in on the situation. At least that's my opinion! lol

As for Naomi, Naomi ALSO told everyone that the bodies were found (i believe it was the episode immediately after the one where she said there were no survivors). Of course we really didn't know if we could believe her after the whole "NOT PENNY'S BOAT" happened! So this is good confirmation that Naomi wasn't lying (well at least not totally!) I didn't look at the video yet, but I'm guessing it's the one from flyoceanicair.com that was hyped up during that crazy Eli Stone show! lol Thanks for the link!

let's see...what else?? Oh yeah...I agree that Hurley's FF is very recent to the "RESCUE" I wonder how recent they will actually get though. Must be a fine line they're going to have to walk to determine what will be revealed as PRESENT DAY and what will be FUTURE DAY.....crazy stuff! lol

I totally agree it was a little bizarre...I think I even thought when watching it "wait..how does Locke know all of this stuff??" but then I just dismissed it for my newer theory lol

Thanks for the hurley interview...good stuff! And I agree with him that they're just trying to throw everyone in the production cycle off so that it doesn't get spoiled. But pretty interesting that Hurley was in the chair when filming.

As for that fan quote? that was terribly misquoted...Jack is the one that says to "get my father down here"...and he is ILL at the time! He could've been talking sarcastically (as in Christian is drunk in heaven) or just out of his mind from the drinking and drugs! Crazy fans that don't get their facts straight drive me nuts! lol (not like the LOST ADDICTS BLOG READERS! lol We're all geniuses!)

But at least Hurley thinks episode 8 has a good cliffhanger. Damon and Carlton don't seem to think it's good enough! I guess we'll see! Plus, the strike could be ending very very soon...and then we'll find out how LOST will cope!

Minus the Christian Shephard being alive comment...I'd like to add this email I just received to the Jacob/Jack/Christian/Claire/Aaron Island Family History Theory we have brewing here:

"I'd like to change things up and comment on the Pop-Up-Video Lost Episode that was on last night. One part in particular caught my attention. I think it was in the hospital right after Jack was stealing drugs, he was talking to the new chief of surgery.The pop up that was on the screen mentioned something along the lines of how Jack was drinking & messed up, though he wasn't normally much of a drinker in the past and that now he was acting more like his father had been acting right before his death.So, this makes me think that Christian Shepard had visited the island and was then taken away from it, couldn't find it again, and was drinking his life away because of this...just as Jack is doing in the flashforward.There are all these theories about Jack's dad being Jacob and being alive on the island...but what about his past visits to the island?"

Very very interesting I must say! Add that to the possibility of Christian maybe knowing flight 815 would end up on the island...possibly paying off Malkin to tell claire she needs to be on that plane...and then have his 2 kids carry on his island legacy??? well I dunno...it really sounds like we're getting somewhere doesn't it? lol

Good call with Kate possibly being pregnant! I totally forgot about that for a week. lol that could be tied in with her possibly not being with the oceanic 6 but with the possibility that they let her off the island the have her baby. I dunno...maybe a stretch. I'm sure all of our theories will change after tomorrow! lol

Read Ask Ausiello today at lunch - a hint was asked of him for the sex of the remaining 3 since he could not give names. His answer was "One of the remaining three has male genitalia".

What I found interesting was that AA did not seem to blink at the fact that there were 3 left of the Oceanic 6 that we did not know. SO - is this a red herring by AA or is Kate really and truly one of the 6 ????

I read the same today....as much as I hate spoilers...i really have a hard time staying away from that crazy Ausiello column these days! Anyways...he rarely tries to spoil much with LOST because people would be out for his head! That being said...I think he has seen a few more episodes and probably knows who had flash forwards and such. Kate could very well be one of the 6. OR there is a chance that it won't certifiably be revealed to us in the first 8 that Kate is one of the 6...it could just be assumed at this time. It's a great theory and all to have...but the fact is...that's all it is...a theory until the show proves us wrong! lol I still like my Sayid idea with him being able to reconnect with Nadia. But I can't see Jin and Sun being separated unless they absolutely have to. And then there's Claire and Aaron!

And something we didn't even begin to discuss...what about Juliet and Desmond who are so desperately trying to get off the island? There is no way they'd be part of the Oceanic 6. But it sounds like they won't be getting off the island either (that we know of) but I'm gonna put money on Jack and co teaming up with Penny on the other side to find a way back there! That would be a story I'd like to see gain some traction!

I'm intersted in Ausiello's comment of the continuity error coming up in tomorrow's episode. I'm sure whatever it is...the producers will be able to explain it. Hell, maybe even I'll catch it and be able to explain it! That Ausiello guy has the scoop...but I think he's a tad crazy!

Mike Ausiello make me jealous because he definitely views several eps ahead of us! LOL - and yes he is a little crazy. He gets a little spoilerish - but not to bad - more like hinting than hard cold info.

I was afraid to mention the rest of what he said about tomorrows ep knowing that your readers don't like spoilers - but you went and did it so you can take the heat ! LOL

I'd lover for Des to get off and be with Penny. Don't know about Juliette - sometimes I still don't like/trust her.

I noticed something while watching last week's episode again last night. Charlie said something like, "Hugo, they need you," while Hurley had his eyes closed, trying to make Charlie disappear. I know Locke calls him Hugo all the time, but I don't think I remember Charlie ever calling him Hugo before. It's kind of like if Zach Morris were to call Screech "Samuel". Going along with a lot of the other comments, maybe somebody (or something) else has taken over Charlie's form to haunt Hurley? Or maybe I'm just reading too far into it...After all, Sawyer doesn't call Kate "Freckles" anymore.

About the scene where Hurley find's Jacob's cabin: It was Christian Shepard in the rocking chair, but I don't think that Locke was in the cabin in Season 4 episode 1. I think the eye that startled Hurley was Jacob's. In episode 2 last week, Locke and Ben were both surprised when Hurley mentions the cabin.

If you watch last season's "Man Behind the Curtain" closely, you can notice that there are quick, fleeting inserts of a hispanic man or tan man's eye. In that scene, it is obvious that the eye does not belong to either Ben or Locke. The eye belonged to someone else. The eye was Jacob's.

I also think that Jacob is either the cause, or is related to the cause, of all the dead people sightings. And that is the reason why Christian Shepard (or just his body) was hanging out in Jacob's cabin.

Hey, Can someone help me as I either don't know or can't remember. What has hapened to the fake beard guy and the dark haired guy (who helped Ben kill his Dad and hasn't aged since Ben was a kid!?)Also do you think Sayid is one of the 6 - could the man he killed have been looking at him weird/scared as he knew he wasn't? Ben was off the island - WTF?!?! I'm only wondering as I don't think Sayid would work for Ben - why would he? So many questions....!

i wanted to thank the posters on this blog for being ridiculously adorable and kind to one another. i'd been reading the ABC website discussions because i didn't know other sites existed and the people who post are vile and mean to one another. this is just so much better and smarter and more insightful. And mike, i love the way you recap and i completely enjoy your "wordiness" as you put it. it's like watching the episode over again but so funny at the same time! ok, that's it...keep posting!!

Yes, I agree everyone is very mature and handles themselves well on this blog. You go on those public message boards and people get very proprietary because they've been there for awhile. Of course, you also get new people on there all the time posting the same silly questions like "is it purgatory???" And that frustrates the MAINSTAYS on the boards.

This blog tends to weed out that mess. Of course, if a miracle happened and this blog hit the mainstream, I think we'd be getting those same comments here! It's a double-edged sword!

I don't get it. So all Charlie said was it is not Penny's Boat, but I don't understand why everyone on the beach crew then assumes the boat coming to get them is a bad idea and they are bad people? I understand they know it is not who they thought it was going to be. Insight without spoiling would be awesome!

Hi Rachel! I'm writing from my phone so I'll be brief. Lol a little rusty on details too but hasn't both Locke and Ben expressed their distrust in the freighter peeps before "not penny's boat" happened? Locke has his Walt vision and Ben always seems to know more than he leads on to. Charlie gave Desmond the message with his "final words" so it would seem important. Now why Charlie would think it means they're not good people I don't know. But the whole time Desmond operated under the assumption that penny was the one coming and now we find out she wasn't. Considering what they've been through on that island I don't think it's a surprise they'd be suspicious! Lol

It was one thing seeing Jack in a flash forward in the last episode of season 3. After all, it came as no surprise that our hero made it off the island. And seeing Jack and Kate in a flash forward scene in that episode was weird, but not expected.

But opening the fourth season with Hurley driving like a bat out of hell and getting arrested and kinda going crazy and asking to be put in a mental hospital and then seeing Charlie and then arguing with Jack…well that just didn't play out the way I expected. It was just kind of jarring seeing Hurley back in civilization, and then learning that he was just one of SIX survivors who made it off the island was bizarre, given what we know so far.

Not that this is a bad thing, by any means. The Oceanic 6 is a very interesting plot development and clearly will be the axis point for most, if not all, of this season.

I understand people being excited about the freighter and getting rescued, but to simply dismiss Ben and Locke's warnings and celebrate as if getting rescued was a 100% probability was kind of annoying. THIS IS THE ISLAND, people, where we have been fooled, foiled, gutted and skewered time and time again. At least Jack did say, "I'll celebrate when I get home," but he also kept telling Kate "yep, this real, Kate! We're finally going home!" Ugh. And that "Ugh" isn't directed at the show, but rather the short-sighted, way-too-optimistic characters. I guess I can't blame them, since it would be natural to get excited.

Ben is amazing. I think he's the funniest guy on the show, even surpassing Sawyer. And with Charlie gone, that make the three funniest people Ben, Sawyer and Hurley.

There were two major scenes (one at the beach, one at the radio tower) when the survivors find out that Charlie died, and they were both brilliantly acted by the cast. My heart broke for Hurley and Claire.

Despite appearing destitute, which is just the way Hurley wants to appear, it won't surprise me if he still has millions in the bank. He probably didn't have a will and his estate (from being "dead") would have taken many months if not years to go through probate. But I won't quibble if the show wants to make Hurley happy and broke.

Jack attempting to kill Locke: an empty chamber does not absolve thee. Just like Locke's good intentions when he killed Naomi doesn't absolve him. I'm still holding on to Locke as one of my top faves, but him killing Naomi was one of the least justified killings by any survivor. Is Locke getting a bit of a "Ben Complex"?

Christian Shephard is Jacob? Gawwwd I hope not! But if he is, I'm sure Lost can make it compelling.

Yeah...it's tough knowing the future when the characters don't know what's in store for them! But, that was what was so revolutionary about this plot idea. Flashbacks had ran their course. They knew they wanted people to get off the island where we initially thought that getting off the island would signify the end of the show. Then all of a sudden, the show had new life in it because we were seeing stories of them OFF the island "TOGETHER" in the FUTURE...while we were still following them in the present day too. Great great stuff. And Locke and Ben had earned enough of a bad reputation to make it believable that some would listen and some wouldn't. I found it completely plausible.

I would agree that in terms of comic-relief...somehow Ben is among the top of the list! Especially when it's the 1-2 punch of him and Locke having discussions.

I'm staying away from the "who is jacob" and "what's up with christian shephard" stuff for now! Too much to come, and LOTS AND LOTS of discussion on it coming. Enjoy!